Erskine Ramsay Hawkins

Born July 26, 1914, in Birmingham, Alabama

Erskine Ramsay Hawkins (July 26, 1914 – November 11, 1993) was a trumpet player and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel." He is most remembered as the composer of the jazz standard, "Tuxedo Junction" (1939), which became a popular hit during World War II, rising to #7 nationally (version by the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra) and to #1 nationally (version by the Glenn Miller Orchestra).

Vocalists who were featured with Erskine's orchestra include Ida James, Delores Brown and Della Reese. Hawkins was named after Alabama industrialist Erskine Ramsay. (See Erskine Hawkins biographies at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Web site and at AllAboutJazz.com).

Hawkins attended Councill Elementary School and Industrial High School (now known as Parker High School) in Birmingham, Alabama. At Industrial High School, he played in the band directed by Fess Whatley, a teacher who trained numerous African-American musicians, many of which populated the bands of famed band leaders such as Duke Ellington, Lucky Millinder, Louis Armstrong and Skitch Henderson (of the NBC Orchestra).

In 1978, Erskine Hawkins became one of the first five artists inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. He died in 1993 in Willingboro, New Jersey. Hawkins was a contemporary of another Birmingham jazz great, Sun Ra.